Less than a year ago, I met Nolan Bushnell at a METal breakfast, where I gave a talk on “the Future of Publishing.” He told me he had a few books he was working on, and was interested in talking to me about publishing them via Net Minds.
We met the following week (see above) and cooked up a third idea: Finding the Next Steve Jobs: How to Find, Hire, Retain and Nurture Creative Talent. I had just read Steve Jobs (by Walter Isaacson), and was aware of Nolan’s history with Jobs, and how he created a creative-friendly workplace culture at Atari. I knew that many companies today need a creative genius to reinvent their products, or perhaps their industry.
Nolan talked to me about all the changes he made, and how so many of today’s companies are getting it wrong. They filter out the creatives, then let the naysayers discourage the few that get in. We both realized that this was the book he needed to write, so he joined Net Minds and we started the project.
Using the Net Minds network, we put together a team around Nolan’s book that included editorial, design, marketing and media relations team members. On March 26, it was the first publication by our young company, and it was covered widely: AP, NYT, AllThingsD, Mashable, Fox and Friends and In the Loop on Bloomberg TV.
We got this book to market in less than 1/2 the time it would have taken through traditional means. We’ve already cut deals to license the book in Russia and Taiwan, with several foreign publishers on deck. Many of you have supported us by buying a copy of the book. It’s a great read, and will help managers and leaders of all types attract, hire and retain creative talent.
The book is comprised of short chapters (Pongs, read on here) that give YRMV advice on how to change your culture, environment and process to be more creative-friendly. Here’s what Walter Isaacson said about the book when he read it (on an iPad): “An absolutely invaluable book by the founder of Atari and the man who launched Steve Jobs’ career.”
We have a special offer for companies or organizations. If you’ll buy a minimum of 100 copies, we can setup a Skype or webinar with Nolan as a priceless bonus (based on mutual availability). If you are interested, email me!
For those that are eBook friendly (maybe everyone has an iPad?), we have a special way of helping you buy them in bulk for your whole company. Here’s what our partner BookShout did for one of Nolan’s speaking clients.
Sweet, huh? Again, if you are interested in this, drop me a note.
